OK I'm feeling better now....

[morningstarfarm]

Couldn't stand it any longer..soooo I broke out the drill and tapped a few new single trees where I put up the tubing this year. Tapped at around 3pm here and they were all running before the bit left the trees...These were all too far out to run into the tubing so its no great loss if they do dry up. Now all my trees are in direct sunlight bordering my hay fields and usually run if the temp gets up to 25 or so...Time will tell I guess..I do however, feel much better:rolleyes:

[KenWP]

When you have the urge to tap you should get out your phone list and call somebody. It's hard to admit we have a addiction but if is possible to over come it. You just have to start over next year.
Right now I know it's to cold when I have to wear gloves. Course i don't need gloves at 32 degrees either. Theres only about 40 more days to go.

[red maples]

wow your trees are running? I am in a valley. if I drive 5 miles in anydirection the temperature can go up from 1 to as many as 5 or 7 degrees.

just a cold spot. I am always the last to loose snow too. even folks down the road from me can have grass I got snow!!!

I won't tap for "at least" another 10 days at least that what the forecast says anyway. if there is warm up toward the end of feb then I will tap a few days before!!!

You can tell its getting close though because the sun is quite warm on my face which isn't really the case in January. today it was 31 in the shade and 42 in the sun.

[Dill]

I'm not planning on tapping for 2 weeks maybe I'll have the self control to hold out until presidents day.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

The way to have enough self control to wait to tap is to have so much left to do before you are ready that you don't have time to drill holes or get an itchy finger:rolleyes:

[smitty76]

I am thinking the 2nd weekend (2 weeks from now) of feb. got plenty to do from now till then. hope I AM READY IN TIME!:o

[red maples]

my list is getting smaller. I think I have enopugh to do keep me busy until then... getting the vacuum from michelle32 tomorrow, picked up my hobby releaser from chris (maple guys) from the meeting on saturday. So I just have to tie that in. and I am working on shortening up some of laterals that is getting them down to les taps per lateral to maximize vac. and now that will have the vac need to have more wood split so there is that too. so lots to do and still have to put up the take down lines from neighbors trees. gotta few weeks noooo problem man!!!

[morningstarfarm]

I'm looking at tapping the rest this weekend...gotta tie up all the loose ends on the tubing, put on drops, oh yeah I still need to insulate the new arch and install firebricks and test fire her to clean pans....I'm probably gonna tap as i go while working on the tubing though. No mains just short runs into tanks. Man I'm in worse shape than I thought...who do I call for an intervention??:rolleyes:

[morningstarfarm]

Oh and if anyone is caught up and bored I'd love to invite you to come help me straighten out what I've screwed up in the tubing so far. It aint pretty thats for sure

[325abn]

Surprised anything would flow around these parts right now!

[morningstarfarm]

I have to admit..first few i tapped right on the edge in the sun ran well...go 20' into the woods and nothing....nice part of the trees ringing a south facing field

[Cardigan99]

The weekend of 3/1 is the earliest we'll go. And that's a week earlier than the last 5 yrs.

[vtsnowedin]

I'm looking at tapping the rest this weekend...gotta tie up all the loose ends on the tubing, put on drops, oh yeah I still need to insulate the new arch and install firebricks and test fire her to clean pans....I'm probably gonna tap as i go while working on the tubing though. No mains just short runs into tanks. Man I'm in worse shape than I thought...who do I call for an intervention??:rolleyes:
You will not find any intervention help here. Everyone on the site is an unrepentant addict and will act as an enabler. Be like holding an AA meeting at an Irish pub. :mrgreen:

[Dill]

Surprised anything would flow around these parts right now!

Winter is back, 5 at the house this morning. And with those few days of below zero, I bet the trees are frozen right up.
Just like it was said already, I have too much to do right now to worry about tapping.

[PerryW]

One thing I've noticed is that:

If you have a day in early February where the temperature warms up to 40 and you drill a hole, the sap will run like crazy but then stop after an hour or so. I think only the outer surface of the tree thaws out. It can trick you into thinking the season has started.

I think SE New Hampshire's typical start dates are sometime in the third week of February and the SW New Hampshire tapping generally starts in the fourth week of February.

Here in Northern NH at 1000'-1200' elevation I tap my tubing around March 10 and my Buckets March 20. I will sometimes start earlier or later depending on the long range forecast as I can be 80% tapped in two days.

Tapping too early is a common rookie mistake. You are fighting frozen lines, frozen valves and frozen pans, and without vacuum, your taps will be dried up for the good runs at the end of the season.

[red maples]

I went over to morning starfarms place he's got a bunch of trees... and yes there were a few running gets lots of sun in some parts of the feilds. built a nice evap too. just stay away from those little trees!!!!:lol:

[morningstarfarm]

Don't worry...the drill is locked in the gun cabinet until next week......

[Mac_Muz]

Tamworth is locked in wintah, no sence drilling nuthin around here, but I see line run down below, but he ain't drilled yet, the taps are hangin in thin air.

I'll drill a test hole on the 3rd weekend of Feb may on one tree, then see, and drill another test hole the next weekend and see. On or around the 1st weekend in March I will set up all my taps and hang buckets.

Then see what I git :D

I don't even want to hear about any trees in full sun all the day long either. Thats a good way to make me really grumpy.

[KenWP]

Mac you going to run a couple hundred taps this year. I plan on 150 good taps but you never know if things run right might go closer to 200 and make a bit of syrup instead.

[Mac_Muz]

Nope, I plan to run 35 taps this year. With buckets. if I can come by a few line taps and a little line, I got one barrel I can leave in the woods to add any more.

No shack again...... means no added taps to me.

[Mark-NH]

Was at Bascom's on Wednesday and they had tapped everything you could see on the way to the house. Of course, they have to do thousands of taps so they start early. Still planning to start tapping towards the end of the month here in Sunapee. Got plenty to do to keep my busy between now and then.

[3% Solution]

Hi Mark,
I was there on Tuesday.
Guess you've got to start early when you've got 60,000 taps!!
I guess we won't be tapping within the next week anyway.
Yeah I figure about the same time.
All we have to do is WAIT!!!!
Ok here's the deal, this year you guys have to stop over here, I've made a number of visits to your place!!! :lol:
Keep in touch!

Dave

[Brian Ledoux]

glad no one else in NH is tapping yet, I have been feeling like I have been missing out on all the sap running. I decided to build a sugar shack for my second year of making syrup and I started it this weekend! Got another 2 days worth of work which hopefully I can do next weekend, depending how long it takes me to figure out how to make the cupola. Thank goodness for this site which has been extremely helpful so far with guiding me along the way. I will be taping a couple trees as soons as the sugar shack is done. That way I can learn by experimentation what happens if I tap too early. Wish everyone the best.

[Mark-NH]

Dave,

Sounds like a plan. I'll stop by on my way home from work when you are boiling. Anxious to see your setup.

[The Butcher]

Hey Brian,

I am not far from you, I wouldn't start tapping yet. Through the 16th it doesn't look like it is going to do much by way of a thaw...

I tapped a little to early last year and lost some good runs later. Sap got milky when a friend's was running clear and he only waited 9 days longer to tap.

Just a thought. Good luck finishing the shack. Hopfully the snow holds off for you.